How to Prune a Shrub

Learn how to prune a shrub with the help of Blain’s Farm & Fleet.

Pruning shrubs will help them grow and blossom fuller. Learn how to prune a shrub and get your lawn looking its best. Before you begin pruning shrubs, read through our article about pruning trees and shrubs to learn about the benefits of routine shrub care and maintenance.

Pruning shrubs helps thin out old and damaged branches, promoting better shrub health. Learn how to prune a shrub with the help of Blain’s Farm & Fleet.

How to Prune a Shrub:

1. Before you start pruning your shrubs, make sure you are dressed appropriately. Wear safety or gardening gloves and long sleeves to protect yourself from scraping branches.

2. If you are pruning a young shrub, you will want to make it grow fuller. Using a hand pruner, trim branches about ¼ inch above the healthy bud at a slight 45 degree angle. This kind of cut will help the branches grow. Remove any damaged or diseased branches.

3. If you are pruning an older shrub, you will want to thin out old and damaged branches. Remove any broken or dead branches. Take a few steps back to ensure the bush looks good from afar. Don’t take off more than 4 inches at a time. You can always come back later and trim more.

4. If you are dealing with an especially neglected shrub, hard pruning is the answer. In the shrub’s dormant season, use a pruning saw and loppers to cut the shrub’s stems to within an inch from the ground. The shrub will start to grow from this base in the spring.

Pruning your shrubs will help thin out old branches and promote shrub growth. Visit our Lawn Care blog to learn how to prune a tree and find other tips on caring for your lawn and plants.